Vacation Package Question

[LisaT91403]

So when I price out GCH on the DLR website, it gives me a rate. Then, if I add 2-Day Parkhoppers, it gives me a new price. If I back out the cost of the hotel, it makes the tickets come out to be $201 each. But if I were to buy those separately on the site, they are only $173 each. What's up with that?

 

[DahliaRW]

Very common. Usually booking seperate things are cheaper. I believe packages don't give you the ticket discounts.

 

[HydroGuy]

Very common. Usually booking seperate things are cheaper. I believe packages don't give you the ticket discounts.

That is what I found as well. We always get room and tix separately.

 

[nunzia]

That is what I found as well. We always get room and tix separately.

ditto...that is what we always did before DVC..always came out cheaper. The only thing that ever had me buy a package was when AAA had, for a couple years, the perk that you got unlimited Fastpasses with their package. Now, that was great and made the higher cost worth it.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Sometimes there are other perks you can get for purchasing the package like magic mornings, character calls, VIP seating for Aladdin, free premium character meal (Costco), free VIP seating for parades (Disney Visa), etc.

Also, I found that if the hotel you are considering offers a free 3rd or 4th night it is only available with the package. So in addition to the above you can get a free night which for me worked out to be cheaper than booking everything separately.

 

[mrswh]

I found the same thing this summer, so I booked a hotel-only reservation. Then I noticed that the ticket prices had gone up (and I hadn't yet bought my tickets) so I called to see whether adding tickets to my reservation would be less expensive. It was! Disney Travel Co. keeps the same ticket price all year long even if the ticket prices increase at some point during the year. So . . . I was able to get the old ticket price and on top of that we got the souvenir tickets as well as preferred seating for Aladdin, etc.

I think you can get character calls even if you book separately, and the same with magic mornings. (I think every multi-day parkhopper ticket includes magic mornings, no?) I wouldn't pay more to book them together, but in our case it worked out great!

I am wondering whether a "package" is different than if you book a hotel and then later add tickets only. Mine turned out cheaper that way.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

I think you can get character calls even if you book separately, and the same with magic mornings. (I think every multi-day parkhopper ticket includes magic mornings, no?)

You had me wondering as it was explained to me as a benefit. So I searched and fount a thread on magic mornings. Here's what I found.

Magic Morning Basics

What? Entrance to Disneyland Park one hour before official park opening to ride select attractions

When? MM is currently offered on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (the days that start with "S" and "T"). And MM is ALWAYS one hour before official park opening. If you are still confused, check the DL online calendar which now has MM days on it (you have to do click on a day and then go to the "DLR Day Calendar" for your particular dates)

Who? There are two ways of gaining the opportunity of using MM.
1) Buying ANY ticket of 3 or more days. This will entitle the ticket holder to one MM admission. There are some exceptions such as Gay Day, military, and convention tickets, but most big name ticket sellers have MM eligible tickets (Disney, AAA, Costco, So. Cal City Pass, most online sources such as ARES Travel)

2) Staying at one of the 3 onsite hotels (Grand Californian (including the new VGC DVC places), Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier Hotel). This will entitle the hotel guests MM admission every day that it is offered during their stay (including arrival (yes, possibly before your room is ready) and departure days) regardless of where you buy your tickets from. For example, if a family was staying at one of the onsite hotels for a long weekend (visiting the parks Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). They would be allowed to use MM on both Saturday and Sunday; however, a guest staying offsite would have to pick one or the other.

How? For onsite guests, each guest must show their "Key to the Magic" card. This is just a fancy name for your room key, which you can also use to charge in-park purchases. It is given to each member of your party at check-in with the dates of your stay and that person's name. You also need a valid source of admission ticket for entrance. For guests staying offsite, you enter just like you would normally and the MM is deducted from your ticket. For all guests, there is no extra piece of paper or voucher needed for MM. That piece of paper that they give onsite visitors is just for information purposes. It, by itself, does not grant MM privileges, so you cannot pass it on to someone else. All you need is your ticket and if you are staying onsite, your room key.​

So provided you buy at least a 3 day ticket it is automatically included.

 

[Sherry E]

I always book separately. I only get "room only" reservations. Magic Mornings are always included. Packages have not been cost effective in years. In the old, old days, you could actually save money by getting a package rather than buying separately. Now, the packages are much more expensive. Disney gets away with selling packages by throwing in the extras like the preferred/priority seating for Aladdin or whichever show, and maybe a MTTMM voucher as well. Then they usually give you a souvenir pin or a souvenir coin and some luggage tags - that kind of thing.

The last package I got was a few years ago, and I realized quickly that the packages of today are not like the packages of 10 years ago or 15 years ago. It's been room-only bookings for me ever since.

Plus, with Room Only bookings, you have all the way up to 5 days prior to your trip to cancel without penalty and get a full refund, and you are never charged for making changes. There's more flexibility in being able to make changes to your reservation. When you get a package, there are more restrictions.

Be careful, though, because Disney sells packages without tickets too. So you may think you are getting a room-only reservation when you are actually getting a package.

Generally, the packages require a minimum of 2 nights at one of the hotels. So if you ever see an offer that requires a 2-night stay, that is probably some sort of a package, whether tickets are included or not.

The room-only reservations allow you to book one night only, if that's what you choose.

So I usually get a room-only booking with some sort of discount (whether it be an AP rate or a PIN code of some kind), and then - if I don't have an AP - I order the Hoppers online at the DLR website, where the rates are cheaper for multiple days than if I were to buy them at the ticket booths.

All tolled, it ends up being much cheaper for me than a package would be.

Plus, if you really want those MTTMM vouchers, or the preferred/priority seating for Aladdin, the free souvenir pin, etc., you can buy a $10 booklet with those vouchers at the Walt Disney Travel Company in Downtown Disney.

 

[LisaT91403]

Plus, if you really want those MTTMM vouchers, or the preferred/priority seating for Aladdin, the free souvenir pin, etc., you can buy a $10 booklet with those vouchers at the Walt Disney Travel Company in Downtown Disney.

Hmm...I didn't know that. So it would be $10/person to get priority seating for Aladdin and MTTMM? I'm assuming I wouldn't need a book for a 2 year old, right?

 

[FlameGirl]

You are probably also getting a character meal as well.

ETA: oops. Nevermind. Didn't register you were on the WDTC site. Sorry.

 

[Sherry E]

Hmm...I didn't know that. So it would be $10/person to get priority seating for Aladdin and MTTMM? I'm assuming I wouldn't need a book for a 2 year old, right?

To be honest, I didn't know about these voucher booklets myself until a few months ago, when I read someone's post about it here on the DIS. At first I thought it might be a mistake, but then other DIS'ers have since mentioned the booklets and that they can be obtained at the WDTC in DTD.

From all that I have heard about the booklets (besides being $10), it appears that all the same things are in it that you would get in a hotel/ticket package, minus the luggage tags!

So there would be the preferred seating voucher which can be used for Aladdin or possibly other shows - and I assume there is only one of those per booklet, but I could be wrong on that. It's possible they may put more than one of those per booklet (maybe 2 per booklet??), but I would think they wouldn't be quite that generous. It will be good to find out about that one way or the other.

I think you're right - I would guess that the booklet wouldn't be needed for the 2-year-old.

In the booklet you also get the MTTMM voucher, a voucher for a free souvenir PIN (and you have to pick up that free pin at one of the designated shops it lists), and discounts on various Downtown Disney restaurants or shops (not all of the shops and restaurants in DTD, but a good enough number of them to make it worthwhile).

Will you have many people in your group? Would the $10 per person be reasonable? I think it sounds like a great alternative for those folks who do not want the packages.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

The comments on this thread have made me reevaluate. We haven't booked anything yet. I realize that you may or may not know the answers to these questions but any insight that can be provided is appreciated. I will also call disney reservations but in my past experience they really promote ordering a package from them and I've found that there are some questions they just don't know the answer to.

1. To purchase tickets on line it says, "through December 31." Does this mean purchased by December 31, used by December 31 or 1st use by December 31? We are plannng December 30 - January 2.
2. I was told that booking using my Disney Chase Visa I would get 0% interest for 6 months, a Visa Disney Bag and VIP seating. While the bag and VIP seating aren't a real plus for me the 0% APR is so I can use our tax return to pay for the trip. Do you know if I would still be eligible for the promo APR if I buy everything seperately?
3. When you say you book hotel seperately - are you booking your hotel through Disney, directly with the hotel, some other reservation option like travelocity, or other? (We are planning to stay at a Good Neighbor - Homewood Suites)

Any insight the group can provide is greatly appreciated.

Best,
Melissa

 

[Malcon10t]

So there would be the preferred seating voucher which can be used for Aladdin or possibly other shows - and I assume there is only one of those per booklet, but I could be wrong on that.

The book gives you a voucher for preferred seating to Aladdin, It's Tough to be a Bug, Muppets, and Talk with Crush. You also get a voucher for a pin/lanyard set to be redeemed at Little Green Men store, World of Disney, or Greetings, and a voucher for Toontown Morning Madness. There is also a voucher for a discount to go to The Block at Orange to shop.

 

[LisaT91403]

The book gives you a voucher for preferred seating to Aladdin, It's Tough to be a Bug, Muppets, and Talk with Crush. You also get a voucher for a pin/lanyard set to be redeemed at Little Green Men store, World of Disney, or Greetings, and a voucher for Toontown Morning Madness. There is also a voucher for a discount to go to The Block at Orange to shop.

Is the preferred seating just for one person? Or is it for your whole group?

Also, is MTTMM only on certain days of the week? Just wondering if we could do MM on a Monday, then go to MTTMM afterwards.

 

[masonite]

The comments on this thread have made me reevaluate. We haven't booked anything yet. I realize that you may or may not know the answers to these questions but any insight that can be provided is appreciated. I will also call disney reservations but in my past experience they really promote ordering a package from them and I've found that there are some questions they just don't know the answer to.

1. To purchase tickets on line it says, "through December 31." Does this mean purchased by December 31, used by December 31 or 1st use by December 31? We are plannng December 30 - January 2.
2. I was told that booking using my Disney Chase Visa I would get 0% interest for 6 months, a Visa Disney Bag and VIP seating. While the bag and VIP seating aren't a real plus for me the 0% APR is so I can use our tax return to pay for the trip. Do you know if I would still be eligible for the promo APR if I buy everything seperately?
3. When you say you book hotel seperately - are you booking your hotel through Disney, directly with the hotel, some other reservation option like travelocity, or other? (We are planning to stay at a Good Neighbor - Homewood Suites)

Any insight the group can provide is greatly appreciated.

Best,
Melissa

I am not sure on all of these questions.

However, if you call the credit card company (chase), they should be able to answer your #2 question.

We just got the Chase Disney Visa, and I had a bunch of questions after I recieved it, I called and they were super helpful. (I thought that I could only book through disney---which is kind of true. It has to be a WDTC company---so Costco was okay, which is who I was planning on booking with.)


For us, booking a package was cheaper. We booked through Costco, which was the same price as a package through disney---but included more. If I broke it down to room & tickets, it was almost $100 more that way, so it was definitely cheaper for us to book a package. Plus, we got 2 character meals & a $20 gc.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

I am not sure on all of these questions.

However, if you call the credit card company (chase), they should be able to answer your #2 question.

We just got the Chase Disney Visa, and I had a bunch of questions after I recieved it, I called and they were super helpful. (I thought that I could only book through disney---which is kind of true. It has to be a WDTC company---so Costco was okay, which is who I was planning on booking with.)


For us, booking a package was cheaper. We booked through Costco, which was the same price as a package through disney---but included more. If I broke it down to room & tickets, it was almost $100 more that way, so it was definitely cheaper for us to book a package. Plus, we got 2 character meals & a $20 gc.

Thanks.

I did find out that the individual tickets are good through January 13. Your first use has to be before December 31.

I'll try giving Chase a call and see what they say.

I have a specific hotel that we would to book - Homewood Suites. I have a Costco membership as well and had considered booking that way. Especially with the character meal. Unfortunately getawaytoday.com has the hotel that we want with the 4th night free and none of the Disney sites (including Costco) are offering it yet (there's still time). I say unfortunately because when I called getaway.com and asked about the Disney Visa she told me that they aren't an affiliate.

Based on this thread I've priced everything out (package, individual, Costco, AAA, getawaytoday.com). I made a spreadsheet and included all the promotions (free bag, breakfast, TTMM, etc). I found that getawaytoday beat out the individual price (buying tickets and hotel separately) by $47. The Disney sites were about $200 more. If any of the Disney sites (Disneyland.com, Costco AAA) offered the 4th night free they would be comparable to getawaytoday.com and beat the individual price. That being said I don't think that it is always the case that buying separately is the best bet. Maybe more so if you are staying on property. You really have to price it out for each purchasing option and then determine what your best price.

 

[isisisme]

We booked through Costco this year. It ended up being cheaper for us this way. We got the 3rd night free at our hotel (A Saturday night, so more score), we are getting a premium character meal, and a $20 gift card. The night free allowed us to stay an extra day. And we did get park tickets at the pre-rate increase.

I admit, I am lazy and have used Disney Travel to just be done with it. It is a convience. We did due our airfare serperately this year since WDTC only does flights to LAX now.
I used to get my park tickets at the Disney Store, book reservations with the hotel directly, etc. But, that was long long ago.

With the ease of booking online now, next trip I might actually do more work and compare between WDTC (inlcluding Costco and AAA) and individual pieces.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

Also, I am not sure what dates your traveling but I found if you go past 12/31 you loose the 4th night free. I found it to be cheaper to book the first 4 nights thru Costco so I recieved the 4th night free and then went directly to the hotel to book New Years Eve the 5th night thru them. This made it cheaper than booking all 5 nights thru Costco.

 

[narsel]

Speaking of the olden days..... my husband works for the post office,and years ago - when my DD21 was 3, the PO/Disney offered 2 - 2 day tickets to the park plus one night at the DLH for $149!!!!! Those were the good old days.

 

[mydisneymoney]

I always make a spreadsheet each time I am looking at booking a trip to DL. I agree with Minnie Love Mickey that sometimes it is cheaper to split the visit up and book with Costco for the minimum amount of nights to get the special deal and then book directly with the motel for the remainder of the nights. Also, if you are getting in late and are not planning on spending the day at the park on the day you arrive, sometimes it is much cheaper to spend the might some distance away at $49 per night and then packup early and go to the park. Some places will let you drop off your bags and park etc early in the day before your room is ready. Take the $50 you saved and buy yourself a meal or two for the family.

We booked through Costco a couple months ago for our trip in September and got the 4th night free rate and Costco's usual free character meal and $20 gift card. Then when DL came out with their Summer/Fall special for a discounted rate plus a character meal if you stay at one of their resorts, we decided to upgrade and went all out and booked at the GCH for 7 nights. The advantage of staying on site this time of year is that you can actually take advantage of the Magic Mornings every morning they are offered because the park closes so early (8pm) that it doesn't make the day so long. Magic Morning on a Friday (8am) and being there until the park closes (12 am) makes for a very long day. We booked through Costco so we got the same rate we would have got through Disney Travel but now we get two free character meals per person. Can't wait. Only 23 more days.